ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the importance of immigrant entry-level earnings in relation to the overall impact of racial-minority immigration. It considers how four institutional areas—immigration policy, labor markets, educational systems, and social welfare—may affect immigrant standing. The chapter discusses the concept of an institutional system. It outlines specific research methods and describes the cross-national census microdata samples used in the analysis. Immigration policy defines the institutional devices which 'guard the doorway' of society. Educational institutions have powerful potential effects on immigrant status in two ways. First, they determine the educational levels of native-born workers with whom immigrants must compete, and second, they determine access and opportunities for immigrants to upgrade their own educational levels. Immigration today is largely an urban phenomenon, so it is important to see how institutional variation affects immigrant experiences at the urban level. Institutions vary by urban area, and national institutions also may have variable impacts in particular urban areas.
